Torment
by Audacia
Summary: COMPLETE. Jack's transformation to Kyra, Kyra's ultimate sacrifice for Riddick, and her salvation. Very Original. Starts after Dark Fury and goes through and beyond The Chronicles of Riddick. Please review!
1. Forward

Forward:

This is a story that was inspired by watching Pitch Black and The Chronicles of Riddick too much and listening to Evanescence. I found an uncanny similarity between what I've always imagined Jack/Kyra enduring and several songs that Evanescence does, so I wrote this song fic.

Firstly, I want to point out that I don't own any of the characters or rights to the Chronicles of Riddick; like so many others, I wish I did, but alas… Also, I don't own any rights to the songs by Evanescence; they belong to the group and their record label alone. I'm just borrowing them - giving them the full credit for the brilliant lyrics - so that I can write my story. :)

This story starts after Pitch Black and Dark Fury; Riddick has already left, leaving Jack on Helion Prime with Imam. It then spans the time through and after The Chronicles of Riddick. I'm warning you all that it is not your typical story and is pretty dark. For the full effect of it, I would suggest that you read each chapter as you're listening to the song that it is named after.

Okay, well, I hope you enjoy it:)


	2. Hello

Chapter 1: Hello

(Song written by B. Moody, A. Lee, and D. Hodges)

_Playground school bell rings again  
rain clouds come to play again_

Jack stood alone in the pouring rain on Helion Prime as the other children ran screaming happily indoors at the sudden down-pour. Water poured in rivulets down her pale face, and her short hair hung limply over her ears. Solemn green eyes stared straight ahead, ignoring the cold wind that cut through her sodden baggy clothes. Not a muscle moved as she stood stoically. A teacher leaned out the school door, yelling at her to come inside, but Jack gave no indication of hearing her. The teacher finally gave up and turned inside, shaking her head and muttering to herself that she must tell the Imam about this new incident.

_Has no one told you she's not breathing?  
Hello I'm your mind giving you someone to talk to  
hello_

Jack's eyes turned skyward, accepting the onslaught of rain, her mind traveling back to another rain; a rain in the darkness of an endless night. Even in the terror and anguish of that rain, she had felt more alive than she did now. Her eyes closed and she turned back inside as the bell rang once more.__

If I smile and don't believe  
soon I know I'll wake from this dream

More days passed by in a blur, nothing felt real anymore, everything was a dream. Classes, teachers, students, Imam and his wife were nothing more than faces coming and going in a relentless monotony. Emotions had no meaning to Jack; they were only facial expressions that she put on to survive, to exist. Smiles had always come easily to her, but now it took all her energy to paste one into place.

_  
Don't try to fix me I'm not broken  
hello I'm the lie living for you so you can hide  
don't cry_

Imam tried to help the suffering child, but nothing he said could get past her silence. Her heart yearned for what she had lost; her childhood, her innocence, her hero. Nothing could return them to her. She had survived, and she would continue to survive. She never let a tear pass her long dark lashes, and she would paste the impossible smile on her face once more, hoping to ease the old priest's fears.__

Suddenly I know I'm not sleeping  
hello I'm still here  
all that's left of yesterday

Sleep eluded her as she lay alone in the still, warm nights. Then and only then did the façade slip and tears would run down her soft, youthful cheeks. The pain never left. It never would. It seemed that was all she had left of her past; all her memories had to offer her. In the dark of night the lies slipped way, leaving her with nothing but the pain.

_Hello_


	3. Taking Over Me

Chapter 2: Taking Over Me

(Song written by B. Moody, A. Lee, D. Hodges, and J. LeCompt)

_You don't remember me but I remember you  
I lie awake and try so hard not to think of you  
but who can decide what they dream?  
And dream I do..._

Days had turned into weeks, and weeks into months. The pain of memories was overwhelming as the days ticked off, one after another; her mind relentlessly returning to the one time she had felt hope: When she had been with **him**. Every time she thought of him pain coursed through her broken heart. Remembering made the loneliness so much harder to bear: He had left her here; alone except for an elderly holy man. Had he forgotten her? Where was he? Day and night these questions plagued her. The weight of her pain made each breath a conscious action. She was suffocating from it. She had only one choice. __

I believe in you  
I'll give up everything just to find you  
I have to be with you to live to breathe  
you're taking over me

Daily she thought of him, the person she had rested her future on. A small light started to flicker in the depths of her hollow green eyes; she wouldn't give up.

_  
Have you forgotten all I know  
and all we had?  
You saw me mourning my love for you  
and touched my hand  
I knew you loved me then_

Riddick was her hope, her salvation, her hero. She had seen the good in him when the world saw nothing but a murdering convict. She had given him her heart and her trust on that dark planet, believing him worthy of them. He had left her after he had brought them to Helion Prime, and he had seen her heart break. As she valiantly fought the tears that threatened to fall and show her weakness, he had very gently reached out one large, deadly hand and touched hers for a moment. Their eyes had met for a moment; then he was gone. Her screams echoed in the space port as she struggled against Imam's restraining hold. As his shuttle disappeared, she fell silent, her young heart desperately holding onto the only thing she had left; Riddick's touch, his love.__

I believe in you  
I'll give up everything just to find you  
I have to be with you to live to breathe  
you're taking over me

School was over. Summer had fallen heavily over the bright planet's surface, making the air hot and dry. A small band of mercs had landed at the space port to pick up supplies. Maybe…Maybe…the time was near.__

I look in the mirror and see your face  
if I look deep enough  
so many things inside that are just like you are taking over

Jack looked in her room one more time, a reflection caught her eye and she turned toward her mirror. A small, pale girl stared back. Her eyes were large in her thin face and her short brown hair stuck up all over her head, just beginning to curl. She saw none of it though; all she saw was a tall, heavily muscled man standing confidently before her. Black goggles pulled over his light sensitive eyes. His voice sounded constantly in her head, helping her survive each day. It was all she had, all she needed. Every day that voice grew a little louder; someday, she would be just like him. That was her greatest hope. __

I believe in you  
I'll give up everything just to find you  
I have to be with you to live to breathe  
you're taking over me

The mercs happily took on the young apprentice. This Jack had an interesting past and there were many rumors flying about the people she knew. The mercs had already heard plenty; enough to guess that she might be a valuable asset. __

I believe in you  
I'll give up everything just to find you  
I have to be with you to live to breathe  
you're taking over me

Jack hated the mercs, not only for herself; she had only known one, Johns, but he had tried to sacrifice her to the monsters in the night; but for the torment they had become to Riddick. This was her only chance, if she wanted to breathe again, if she wanted to **live** again, then she had to find him. This was the only way. __

Taking over me  
You're Taking Over Me  
Taking over me  
Taking over me


	4. Imaginary

Chapter 3: Imaginary

(Song written by B. Moody, A. Lee, and D. Hodges)

_I linger in the doorway  
Of alarm clock screaming  
Monsters calling my name  
Let me stay  
Where the wind will whisper to me  
Where the raindrops  
As they're falling tell a story_

A loud clanging sound filled the air, followed closely by the shouts of her captors yelling at her to wake and begin her unending work. For a moment Jack squeezed her eyelids more tightly together, dreading the beginning of another day from hell. A cold wind ruffled her thin blanket as it blew through the large gaps in the run down lean-to's walls, causing her to shiver. Rain drizzled through the rotting roof into large puddles on the hard packed dirt floor. The smell of mold, rot and the wet, slimy dirt made her throat constrict, but she would gladly stay in this nightmare instead of venturing forth into the living hell that was now her life. __

In my field of paper flowers  
and candy clouds of lullaby  
I lie inside myself for hours  
and watch my purple sky fly over me

As Jack worked; her tired and battered body pushed beyond its limit, her mind would drift. Fleeting thoughts darted through her head; the short moments of affection she had known as a young child, flowers, sunshine - anything to allow herself to continue on.__

Don't say I'm out of touch  
With this rampant chaos- your reality  
I know well what lies beyond my sleeping refuge  
the nightmare I built my own world to escape

Day after day a new nightmare awaited her. Physical and emotional pain beyond all enduring: The men who now owned her tormenting her every moment. They robbed her of everything: Dignity, hope, and her strength: Riddick's voice grew silent.__

In my field of paper flowers  
and candy clouds of lullaby  
I lie inside myself for hours  
and watch my purple sky fly over me

As the men would rape her; body and mind, she would escape into herself. Her imagination creating a safe place for her to run into when the monsters came for her; Eyes blank and cold, Jack stared off into her own head.__

Swallowed up in the sound of my screaming  
Cannot cease for the fear of silent nights  
Oh how I long for the deep sleep dreaming  
The goddess of imaginary light

Night was the only time she had relief from men's violence but the night became an enemy of a different kind. In the silence, she was left with nothing but the reliving of the nightmare of her days. The darkness and silence became a living thing, stealing away all defense and leaving her to her agony. Her screams burst forth, fighting against the silence that would always fall. The sun eventually rose with the clanging bell, pushing back the darkness and shattering the silence, only to be replaced again with the living hell.

_In my field of paper flowers  
and candy clouds of lullaby  
I lie inside myself for hours  
and watch my purple sky fly over me_


	5. Going Under

Chapter 4: Going Under

(Song written by B. Moody, A. Lee, and D. Hodges)

_Now I will tell you what I've done for you  
50 thousand tears I've cried  
Screaming Deceiving and Bleeding for you  
And you still won't hear me_

Anger flooded through Jack; every day came the same torment, the same living hell. No longer did she hold Riddick as her hero. That illusion had fled when his voice silenced, leaving her to her fate. She had devoted herself to him, had cried for him, she had kept silent when the mercs had beaten and tortured her to get information; eventually selling her into her existing nightmare as a slave. Still he had not come. He had not rescued her, or heard her unending screams. He had not done what she would have done for him.

_  
Don't want your hand this time I'll save myself  
Maybe I'll wake up for once_

No more would she call for the man who had left her alone. Her hope now lay only on her young shoulders. She wouldn't waste any more time hoping, dreaming, and waiting for him to save her. She would save herself.

_  
Not tormented daily defeated by you  
Just when I thought I'd reached the bottom  
I'm dying again_

Jack went about her daily work, trying to keep out of sight of her possessors, hoping that today maybe, just maybe, they wouldn't come for her.

Jack was watering the algae that was grown as a cash crop on the wet planet; bucket after bucket of scummy water had to be carried to the far end of the long greenhouses and she spent hours everyday struggling with this back breaking task. She was almost finished when she heard the sound of foot steps behind her. Every muscle tensed and trembled; she knew what was coming. A cold, lingering hand ran down the side of her neck and shoulder, grabbing her suddenly and pulling her around. A shudder of disgust and humiliation ran up her spine, but then the shudder stopped halfway, ended by the sudden stiffening of her back. 'Not today, not again.' She thought coldly and she raised her eyes to meet her tormentor's.

The man was startled by the change he saw in her eyes; instead of the fear, defeat, and humiliation that had always resided there, feeding his desire, he saw something that made a small piece of his soul freeze.

Her large, green eyes were hard; they were filled with a hate so complete that their gaze hit the man like a physical impact. They were not the eyes of a young girl, that girl was dead; these were the eyes of an animal.__

I'm going under  
Drowning in you  
I'm falling forever  
I've got to break through  
I'm going under

Fury blinded Jack. No conscious thought entered her head as she made that first move. Even years later she still would not be able to recall the full events of that day.__

Blurring and stirring the truth and the lies  
So I don't know what's real and what's not  
Always confusing the thoughts in my head  
So I can't trust myself anymore  
I'm dying again

Jack's world had turned upside down; what was a lie was true, what was weak was strong, what was wrong was right. Disjointed thoughts flashed across her mind, was this really her? Who was she? What was she doing? All she knew was once and for all the girl she had been was gone; she had been weak and she couldn't survive. Jack had been discarded along with her helplessness and defeat. Kyra had been born.__

I'm going under  
Drowning in you  
I'm falling forever  
I've got to break through

Kyra's breathing came in labored gasps. Anger and pain filled her so completely that it pushed all else aside. Hatred raged. Darkness filled the world before her eyes. No longer was it an enemy, it was her ally. She used it all.__

So go on and scream  
Scream at me I'm so far away  
I won't be broken again  
I've got to breathe I can't keep going under

She stood over the final man, a man who had tormented and toyed with her almost daily. Now his tormented screams were ringing in her ears but she could hardly hear it through the fog of her hatred and rage. A new sound mixed with the horrific screams; it was the sound of laughter. Kyra did not recognize it as her own as she drove her shard of metal into the man over and over again. 'They won't have me anymore. They can't get me again.' Those thoughts repeated themselves over and over in her head as she finished her work. Standing shakily, she gasped for breath. Feeling began to return to her and she felt the hot, sticky blood dripping down her face. It was thick on her clothes and hands. She felt no revulsion; justice had been served this day. The only cost had been her soul.

_I'm going under  
Drowning in you  
I'm falling forever  
I've got to break through  
I'm going under_


	6. Whisper

Chapter 5: Whisper

(Song written by B. Moody, A. Lee, and D. Hodges)

_Catch me as I fall  
Say you're here and it's all over now_

Kyra lay on her back in her cell in hell; a place that they called Crematoria. No tears were left to her. They had dried up long ago. While she lay halfway between sleep and wakefulness, her heart screamed out to the one she had once trusted, pleading for the help she knew wouldn't come.

_  
Speaking to the atmosphere  
No one's here and I fall into myself_

She awoke fully and stared at the rough stone ceiling. For a moment weakness took a hold and she let his face drift across her memory, then, when pain began to eat away at her once more, she rolled off the stone shelf that served as her bed and left her cell. She was alone. Always alone.

_  
This truth drives me  
Into madness_

She crept out along a narrow ledge near the bottom of the massive pit of Crematoria where the sulfur vapors wafted thick and yellow from the fissures all around. At her back was a warm cliff, and inches from her toes was an abrupt vertical drop off but she paid it no heed as she continued forward. She crouched down and pulled a finely honed blade from her boot as she glanced down at the new inmate they were just lowering into the pit. She watched as the other inmates surrounded the helpless man, surveying what possessions he may have that they would want. Kyra knew the code. Kill or be killed. The man's feet touched down and the crazed inmates charged him, ripping, tearing, and pummeling with whatever weapon they could find.

_  
I know I can stop the pain  
If I will it all away_

Kyra watched stoically, trying to block out the pain and revulsion she felt at the brutality of the humanity surrounding her. But she knew how to survive in the dog eat dog penal system: Kill or be killed; eat or die; take or be robbed. Kyra had been in Crematoria for a long time. She had not been killed, starved, or naked. She jumped in.__

Don't turn away  
Don't give in to the pain  
Don't try to hide  
Though they're screaming your name  
Don't close your eyes  
God knows what lies behind them  
Don't turn out the light  
Never sleep never die

I'm frightened by what I see  
But somehow I know  
That there's much more to come

Men surrounded her. She knew what they wanted; they always wanted the same thing. Leers and taunts were hurled at her from all sides. She crouched low, curling into herself, memories of her slavery flooding into her memory; she froze.

_  
Immobilized by my fear  
And soon to be  
Blinded by tears_

Her muscles refused to work, but then the unshed tears sprang into her eyes, blurring her vision. Kyra rebelled. No weakness. No pain. She saw a man dart toward her and she sprang into motion. The man had no time to contemplate his mistake before he was cut down, his throat cleanly slashed.

_  
I can stop the pain  
If I will it all away_

Don't turn away  
Don't give in to the pain  
Don't try to hide  
Though they're screaming your name  
Don't close your eyes  
God knows what lies behind them  
Don't turn out the light  
Never sleep never die

Fallen angels at my feet  
Whispered voices at my ear

Men lay scattered and broken at her feet, thick vapors swirled over them. Blood ran thickly across the stone; dripping into the cracks and crevices that vented the foul fumes. Kyra stood still in the center of the bodies, her breath coming in gasps. Sweat ran in rivulets through the dust and ash that smudged her face, but her cold eyes were dry as she surveyed her slaughter.

_  
Death before my eyes  
Lying next to me I fear  
She beckons me  
Shall I give in_

Everyday was a fight for survival; the dead were carted out of Crematoria daily; killed by age, illness, guards and each other. Everyday Kyra had to make a choice; would she live through this day? Or should she let the seemingly inevitable come? Death did not scare her. Even the torments of hell would simply be a continuation of the life she already led. Yet, unfailingly, Kyra daily chose to fight, to live. She wasn't sure why; the cost of living was to die. She had accepted this years ago when she forced Jack to disappear and be replaced by the animal she was now. All she knew was she wasn't ready to give up what she had sacrificed everything for: The simple ability to continue to breathe. For another day, the struggle for survival continued.

_  
Upon my end shall I begin  
Forsaking all I've fallen for  
I rise to meet the end_

The day began the same way it always did; Kyra was awakened by the pain of the memories that came to her in her sleep. She again heard the now familiar sound of the inmate's excitement; a new victim must be being lowered into their communal hell. Walking softly, she left her cell and crept down the dangerous ledge that led into the bowels of the pit. The rhythmic clanging of tin cups and pipes on the steel railings echoed off the stone walls. Kyra crouched low and turned her hard eyes on the new arrival. Her heart clenched painfully as she viewed the dark, muscular form hanging from the chain. 'So he has come.' She thought. There was no surprise in her thoughts; she had known that someday they would meet again. It would be different this time. She was now the animal and he was in her domain.

She watched as he executed amazing acrobatics to loose himself from the chain, flip and land gracefully on his feet. She watched as the more desperate inmates rushed forward, only to meet a quick and efficient death. Then she saw a lone man rush up behind Riddick; for a moment she began to turn away, to return to her cell, to live by the convict's code, but something stopped her. Before she could register the actions, she jumped forward and grabbed a heavy chain from the floor. With a strong flick of her arm she threw the chain and watched as it wrapped around the man's neck. She jerked back violently; ripping the man from his feet and causing his feet to fly into the air over his head. He crashed downward, landing on his head on the rough stone floor, snapping his neck.

Looping the chain over her arm, she coiled it neatly, unable to take her eyes from the man who had betrayed her, the man she had just saved. Anger rose in her and she stood; turned her back on Riddick and walked away into the putrid vapors that hung thickly in the pit. She had just forsaken every rule she lived by, every tenet that kept her alive and that she had sacrificed for. She had become involved and saved another's life, and now she was paying the price; she was feeling again. She had been weak and for that she would fall.

_Don't turn away  
Don't give in to the pain  
Don't try to hide  
Though they're screaming your name  
Don't close your eyes  
God knows what lies behind them  
Don't turn out the light  
Never sleep never die_


	7. My Last Breath

Chapter 6: My Last Breath

(Song written by B. Moody, A. Lee, and D. Hodges)

_Hold on to me love  
you know I can't stay long  
all I wanted to say was I love you and I'm not afraid  
can you hear me?  
Can you feel me in your arms?  
_

Kyra felt the cold, hard floor against her back. Suddenly strong, warm hands reached beneath her, lifting her head from the floor and cradling her gently, effortlessly, like one would hold an infant The feel of those hands drew her back from the darkness that swirled around her and she forced her eyes to open to gaze into those silver eyes that had stolen her heart years ago. She tried to smile, but it died before it could curve her pale lips.

_  
holding my last breath  
safe inside myself  
are all my thoughts of you  
sweet raptured light it ends here tonight_

I'll miss the winter  
a world of fragile things  
look for me in the white forest  
hiding in a hollow tree  
I know you hear me  
I can taste it in your tears

Thoughts of the things she had loved in her life filled her with a deep sadness as she realized she would never be able to see them again.

She heard the quiet question Riddick asked her, knowing that the simple question was asking much more than the words did. She answered him, telling him so much more than the mere words expressed. She saw the unshed tears glistening in his beautiful eyes and she knew that he heard everything she meant but didn't say. Her breath hitched as her lungs failed to expand. Kyra looked deeply at the man she would never see again and let everything she had always felt for him shine in her eyes. Fighting for just one more moment, she drew a final breath.__

holding my last breath  
safe inside myself  
are all my thoughts of you  
sweet raptured light it ends here tonight

closing your eyes to disappear  
you pray your dreams will leave you here  
but still you wake and know the truth  
no one's there

Kyra looked down upon her empty body and the man bending over it. She watched as he leaned back, covering his eyes with his large hand, denying the sight of her broken, dead body.__

Say goodnight  
don't be afraid  
calling me calling me as you fade to black

She felt an irresistible pull begin to drag her away. She fought desperately, trying to stay by the side of the man who needed her; the man she needed. But the force was too strong and everything began to fade into blackness as she struggled. In the instant before she lost sight of Riddick, her eyes locked onto his face and she screamed out his name; reaching her hands out to him once more.__

holding my last breath  
safe inside myself  
are all my thoughts of you  
sweet raptured light it ends here tonight


	8. Tourniquet

Chapter 7: Tourniquet

(Song written by B. Moody, A. Lee, D. Hodges, and R. Gray)

_I tried to kill the pain  
but only brought more  
I lay dying  
and I'm pouring crimson regret and betrayal_

The scarred and twisted land surrounded Kyra in thick darkness. Screams of utter human suffering ripped the air as the souls trapped with Kyra in the darkness were lost in their own private terror.

This was a place of despair; physical agony and mental torment. Creatures of unbelievable horror roamed the tortured surface of the planet, preying on the crazed and weak humans. Kyra had been attacked by one such creature, a monster that ripped and tore its prey before devouring them. She had fought desperately; finally bringing the creature down but only after it had inflicted several mortal wounds. Blood poured from the wounds that should have killed her as she lay on the hot, dusty ground.

_  
I'm dying, praying, bleeding and screaming  
am I too lost to be saved  
am I too lost?_

She wished to die, to just die and be done with this horrific existence, but she knew she wouldn't, she **couldn't**. She was dying, but she would never die. That was the anguish of this place. Death preyed upon them all, bringing all its torture and pain with it, but it never allowed them the release of finality, of the end. So instead Kyra lay alone; torn, bleeding, and screaming in the unending agony.

Her mind drifted; hallucinations and disjointed memories danced before her eyes. An unrecognized face filled most of her memories; a dark face, with a shaved head and black goggles hiding silver eyes. Kyra had no idea who the face was, but lost in her pain, she began to cry out for it, screaming for salvation.__

my God my tourniquet  
return to me salvation  
my God my tourniquet  
return to me salvation

do you remember me  
lost for so long  
will you be on the other side  
or will you forget me

Riddick stepped onto the harsh, dark surface of the hellish planet; he gave a look to the four Necromonger soldiers who had been acting as his escort that clearly told them this was as far as they were to go. Grateful to be off the howling planet and back inside the ship, they hurried back to safety; letting the heavy door slide shut behind them. Riddick turned back to survey the world before him; the twisted rocks, the black sky with its racing clouds glowing red as if they were dancing over the fires of hell itself. 'The Underverse. Paradise.' Riddick thought, sickened. And Kyra…was she out there somewhere? Was she alive in this place that reeked of death? A heavier question weighed on his heart as it had been since he had begun his search; if he did find her, would she still be Kyra or would she be twisted and turned into nothing but another evil on this malevolent planet?... Would she know him?

_  
I'm dying, praying, bleeding and screaming  
am I too lost to be saved  
am I too lost?_

Kyra's wounds knit themselves together like they always did, but the burning pain seemed to linger. She walked across the desolate landscape, stepping over torn, mutilated bodies – writhing and screaming in their torment. She had no idea where she was heading, but she knew she couldn't hold still.

Continuously, that familiar unknown face filled her mind; pushing her, pulling her on through the confusion and terror that filled her every moment.__

my God my tourniquet  
return to me salvation  
my God my tourniquet  
return to me salvation

I want to die!!!

my God my tourniquet  
return to me salvation  
my God my tourniquet  
return to me salvation

my wounds cry for the grave  
my soul cries for deliverance

Her body was beaten and torn; the harsh planet and its evil inhabitants wreaked havoc upon her. Bones broke, and her blood ran out into the dust. It never ended. When she would fall to the ground, unable to continue on, that face came to haunt her every moment: She cried; screamed; prayed for it to come. To come and save her;

To kill her.

_  
Will I be denied Christ  
tourniquet  
my suicide_


	9. Haunted

Chapter 8: Haunted

(Song written by B. Moody, A. Lee, and D. Hodges)

_Long lost words whisper slowly to me  
Still can't find what keeps me here_

Kyra was lost inside her head. All but the faintest traces of identity, memories, and hopes; gone. She was fast becoming nothing more than another tormented soul, trapped in her own unending suffering; all humanity stripped from her leaving her with nothing but pain. The last traces of her tenuous humanity only arose in her sleep; when she fell in exhaustion the dark face would come to her; echoes of long absent words rang in her ears; tearing her between the reality in her head and the nightmare of the world around her.

_  
When all this time I've been so hollow inside  
I know you're still there_

Running in absolute terror, Kyra leapt onto a sharp ledge jutting from the face of a gnarled stone spire; the monster was behind her, reaching for her with its long, deadly claws. She began to climb, shredding her skin on the jagged rock. Finally, bleeding and panting, she pulled herself to the top of the spire hundreds of feet above the twisted terrain that surrounded her. The monster was moving away in search of easier prey to torment; disappearing into the blowing sand and gloom. Huddled against the hot, violent wind, Kyra heard the agonized screams of the other tortured victims in this hell floating up into the sky around her and joining with the howl of the wind to create a discordant, nightmarish song. Cringing, she placed her torn hands over her ears, rocking back and forth trying to block out the horrendous noise.

Suddenly, she felt unknown eyes resting upon her body. Her eyes were drawn downwards. __

Watching me, wanting me  
I can feel you pull me down  
Fearing you loving you  
I won't let you pull me down

A man stood solidly against the gusting wind; two long, deadly knives resting in his hands. Dried blood was splattered on his dark clothes and bare arms. Black goggles covered his eyes; they were turned up to her. Her heart stopped, then began to race as she recognized the face from her dreams. Fear of this unknown being tore at her and her crazed eyes darted around, searching for an escape. Not far away the ledge of a cliff was projecting out of the darkness; it would lead her away from this new monster. Kyra stood; with the grace and instincts of a wild animal, she jumped.__

Hunting you I can smell you - alive  
Your heart pounding in my head

Time drug by in her continued torment; the face was now replaced by the picture of the powerful man standing firmly against the wind. Curiosity nagged at her. Finally, unable to forget, and unable to deny the small, persistent tugs at her soul, Kyra began to hunt; searching for this nameless being, for something was truly unique about it…

The smell of death did not hang about it like a vapor; it smelt…Alive.

He came into view as Kyra lurked in the darkness of a nearby crevice. As she crept closer, a rhythmic sound began to fill her; pulsating in her body, and traveling down her limbs. A steady Thump, thump; Thump, thump that made her head feel like it would explode. It sounded familiar somehow.

A heartbeat.

_  
Watching me, wanting me  
I can feel you pull me down  
Saving me, raping me, watching me_

As though sensing her presence, the man turned toward her. He removed the small black goggles and his eyes flashed from the shadows, reflecting the horrible light that lit the evil world. Kyra froze as their eyes met. Every emotion was clawing at her soul: Terror, hope; hate, love; instinct, and rationality. Unable to bear the onslaught of the rampaging feelings, Kyra turned and fled.__

Watching me, wanting me  
I can feel you pull me down  
Fearing you... loving you  
I won't let you pull me down


	10. Bring Me to Life

Chapter 9: Bring Me to Life

(Song written by B. Moody, A. Lee, and D. Hodges)

_How can you see into my eyes like open doors  
leading you down into my core  
where I've become so numb without a soul my spirit sleeping somewhere cold  
until you find it there and lead it back home_

Kyra stood once again before the tall man, his mercury eyes boring into hers. Blood dripped softly from his long, curved knives; fresh from the monster that now lay between them. Kyra's blood flowed softly down one of her arms and drip, drip, dripped off her finger-tips. The monster had nearly torn the limb from her ravaged body when suddenly great hands had flown in and ripped the creature off of her. Within seconds the monster's blood was pouring onto the dirt and it heaved its last breath as the man cut it down.

Now they stood face to face. His eyes looking at her filled with such tender familiarity, such emotion where she only felt a gaping emptiness; a great echoing void. Lost within herself, unable to accept or understand the emotion she saw there, Kyra turned and walked away; leaving her savior standing alone in the dark.__

Wake me up inside  
Wake me up inside  
call my name and save me from the dark  
bid my blood to run  
before I come undone  
save me from the nothing I've become

now that I know what I'm without  
you can't just leave me  
breathe into me and make me real  
bring me to life

Kyra's tortured mind returned again and again to the emotions she had seen in the dark man's eyes. A deep longing gradually filled her; the void seemed so empty, the aching cold of it threatened to drown her, every moment in this place she felt a little more of her self slip away and fall into that growing abyss. Desperation overwhelmed her and without another thought she crept out of her dank lair and into the stormy night.__

Wake me up inside  
Wake me up inside  
call my name and save me from the dark  
bid my blood to run  
before I come undone  
save me from the nothing I've become

Bring me to life

She watched him as he sat alone in the howling wind. From his subtle movements, Kyra knew that he was aware that he was being watched. A knife rested on the ground near his hand and for a moment Kyra wanted nothing more than to feel it cut into her; healing her, killing her; saving her from this unending darkness.

It would be pointless she knew, she couldn't die here; not physically; no, in the torment of this place you died from inside out.

She knew not why she had come to this strange man, but something strong had drawn her here. Something that had caught a hold of her and would not let go.

Again, without thought, without control, Kyra stepped out into the open. His attention was instantly focused on her and he rose to his feet.

The wind buffeted her as she stood defenseless before him, his eyes on hers. Her hair whipped out behind her and suddenly, tears filled her eyes. A small, desperate voice screamed in the back of her mind; the terror and panic that filled the voice sent Kyra wheeling. The tears began to fall as she surrendered to the panic in that voice and fell to her knees.__

Frozen inside without your touch without your love darling 

_Only you are the life among the dead_

Riddick saw the utter torment on her face; the tears drew stark, white lines through the ash and dried blood on her cheeks. He was drawn utterly and completely toward her, and as he reached her he kneeled and gently reached out a lethal hand to softly wipe away the tears.

_  
All this time I can't believe I couldn't see  
kept in the dark but you were there in front of me  
I've been sleeping a thousand years it seems  
got to open my eyes to everything_

At his touch, Kyra's mind began to reel. Memories came flooding back, emotions filled her to overflowing. An emotion that she couldn't identify brought a half-crazed laugh to her lips; she knew him! Recognition flooded her overwhelmed mind; he was there, had always been there.

She felt reborn.

_  
Without a thought without a voice without a soul  
don't let me die here  
there must be something more  
bring me to life_

Words would not form in her long unused mouth and she struggled with herself; fighting back the darkness, the void. This time she was not alone and with Riddick gently touching her cheek she was able to push the gluttonous evil back.

Kyra forced her long uncontrolled hands forward. Trembling they reached upward and gently pulled up the blank, black goggles, revealing his hypnotic silver gaze. She stared into their depths, seeing everything she had always dreamed she would find there. Uncertainly, she let her hands rest on either side of his strong face. A flood of warmth rushed into her icy hands from his cheeks, down her arms and spread throughout her cold body. Her tortured, glassy eyes cleared and with a voice full of wonder and love she spoke the only name that never had let her down, "Riddick." __

Wake me up inside  
Wake me up inside  
call my name and save me from the dark  
bid my blood to run  
before I come undone  
save me from the nothing I've become


	11. Author

Thank you all for your reviews and for reading my story. :) I have some great news; I have now written a sequel! It is called Breathe. It follows the same songfic idea as this one using only Evanescence songs. Anyway, look it up and enjoy!


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